Bombardier Joins Forces with Valutec to Test Train Electronics

Industry leader Bombardier Transportation has teamed up with Valutec C3t to hold accelerated tests of electronic boards.

Great Backing

Fully supported by Frances Ministry of Higher Education and Research, as well as the Nord-Pas de Calaias regional government, the scheme aims to improve train reliability.

Valutec , which is the land transportation technology centre of the Unitversity of Valenciennes and Hainaut Cambresis, has went forward to purchase a HALT test chamber which will investigate the performance and failure modes of onboard electronic systems.

The chamber is planned to be used for a wide range of tests, including vibrations and climatic conditions and will run to the HALT and HASS protocols. After identifying sources of potential breakdown or malfunction before the equipment leaves the development stage, the technology will enable solutions.

Jean- Pierre Cartellini, General Director of Valutec, said: This new partnership is in line with the mission of our land transportation technology centre.

It aims to share its resources for testing with research laboratories as well as rail and automotive builders and suppliers to promote innovation and support companies in the development of modern modes of transportation.

Whilst working with Valutec, Bombardier boffins will train and share their technical knowledge with Valutecs dedicated employees, ensuring that the programmes used for testing are conducted professionally.

At Bombardiers Crespin plant, train reliability scores highly on the priority board and its 500 engineers use the onsite advanced test laboratory and the CORFAC facility to aid in developing trains for the French Regions, aswell as the national rail operator SNCF and the Paris public transport operator RATP.

Christophe Bertin added: The rail industry has embraced the electronic era and deserves appropriate test tools to meet customers expectations.

We are confident that these state-of-the-art test facilities will improve further the performance of our rolling stock. We need to anticipate and simulate extreme operating conditions so the train, once commissioned, is fully operational.

New Test Platform

Bombardier has developed a test platform for the production of the Regio 2N articulated double-deck train, which is composed of the entire life sized network of cables aswell as onboard electronic equipment that will simulate commercial operating conditions, ensuring that the tests will be as true to real life as possible.

With the sophistication of onboard electronic equipment growing to meet the increasing demand of customers and the passengers desire for speed safety and comfort, developments have occurred in over 100 different types of electronic which control a plethora of functions including doors, brakes, air conditioning, passenger information and sound systems.